Quantcast
Channel: Essex County
Viewing all 10984 articles
Browse latest View live

Fall into this week's NJ.com News Quiz

0
0

Were you paying attention to local news this week?

As the calendar turns to autumn, it's time for another NJ.com New Quiz. There are no mentions of pumpkin spice or fall leaves here; just seven questions based on the biggest local stories of the week gone by. Once you're finished, share your score in comments to see how you stack up with other NJ.commers. And please, no Googling.




Gallery preview

John Shabe may be reached at jshabe@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johndshabe. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 


Expanding clothing chain Yogasmoga to open first N.J. location

0
0

Athletic apparel store is coming to the Mall at Short Hills.

MILLBURN -- Yogasmoga, a growing New York-based athletic apparel company, is opening its first New Jersey location this fall.

The chain, which will have 12 retail stores open in at least five states by the end of this year, will bring its first Garden State store to the Mall at Short Hills.

"Growing up, I always went to the Short Hills mall," Yogasmoga co-founder and CEO Rishi Bali said in a phone interview. "It is really humbling 20 years later to be opening a store there."


RELATED: 10 more retailers opening in the American Dream mall

Bali moved to the U.S. from India in 1994, just before he started as a student at Columbia University. During his first few months in the U.S., he lived with family members in New Jersey. After school, he spent years working for Goldman Sachs in the finance industry.

During a 2009 trip back to India, Bali said he realized a passion that combined all of his varied experiences - yoga.

Yogasmoga insideInside of a store. (Courtesy Yogasmoga)
 

"I spent half of my life in a very traditional setting, one that understands the concepts of health, and fitness, and (is really the) birthplace of yoga," he said.

"And I spent the other half of my life (in America, where) there is this dynamic culture of entrepreneurship...I realized that I could take my understanding of this culture and my business experience and turn it into a great company."

In 2013, Bali and his sister Tapasya launched it.

Yogasmoga - a name that Bali said is a nod to an Indian tradition of rhyming, and means "Yoga and all that goes with it" - sells American-made athletic apparel. By next year, store executives said it plans to open 25 additional locations in places like NYC, Florida, Hawaii, and Canada.

The New York Business Journal said the chain's expansion is may challenge athletic clothing brand Lululemon, which was founded in 1998 and has hundreds of locations. 

Short Hills mall staff did not respond to a request for comment about the impending opening, but Bali said local shoppers have expressed a lot of excitement around the new store.

"It's just very exciting for us," he said.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

Family of man killed by police demands federal investigation

0
0

Family members and supporters of a Newark man fatally shot by police called Thursday for a federal probe into the killing, a day after a state grand jury declined to the indict the officers involved.

Supporters of Kashad Ashford along with his sister, Jenta Ashford, mother Regina Ashford and grandmother Cecille Hepburn speak at a news conference outside the Peter W. Rodino, Jr. Federal Building in Newark on Sept. 24, 2015. (Noah Cohen | NJ Advance Media) 

NEWARK -- Family members and supporters of a Newark man fatally shot by police called Thursday for a federal probe into the killing, a day after a state grand jury declined to the indict the officers involved.

The state Attorney General's Office announced that the grand jury found two Lyndhurst police officers, a Rutherford officer and a state trooper did not act criminally when they fired at Kashad Ashford, 23, in September 2014 after a stolen car chase.

Speaking outside the Newark federal building, Ashford's grandmother, Cecille Hepburn, said she didn't trust the grand jury process and demanded a meeting with U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, New Jersey's top federal prosecutor. 


RELATED: 4 officers not indicted in fatal shooting that followed car chase


"This system has failed this family," Hepburn said. 

Hepburn said authorities did not communicate with the family during the grand jury process.

"I will not stop until the truth, whatever it may be, comes out," she added.

Larry Hamm, chairman of People's Organization For Progress, said the grand jury system must be either reformed or replaced in cases involving use of force by police officers.

"We have seen case after case in New Jersey and across the nation where the grand jury system has failed the families of the victims of police brutality," Hamm added. "Right now, we have no confidence in the criminal justice system and this is just another example of why black people across this country do not have confidence in this system."

He also called for an immediate federal investigation into Ashford's death. Family members also accused police of using excessive force. 

A spokesman for Fishman said his office was contacted about the case, but had no immediate comment.

An attorney for the family, Audwin Levassuer, said they were exploring legal options, but it was unclear if they planned to file suit.

"We definitely know that there are flaws in the system, a lot of them, but we can be better than this," Levassuer said.

"How can they have closure with this information? How can they sleep at night with all these basic questions unanswered?" Levassuer said of the Ashford family.

In a statement Wednesday, the state Attorney General's Office released more details about the deadly encounter.

A woman told police that someone tried to break into her car on Sept. 16, 2014 in North Arlington, the statement said. Ashford and Jemmaine T. Bynes, 31, of East Orange, fled the attempted break-in in a stolen SUV, leading police on a high-speed pursuit through several towns.

According to the account released by the state Attorney General's Office, the SUV was driving recklessly and tried to ram a patrol car before it crashed into a barrier on the Ridge Road Route 3 overpass in Rutherford.


RELATED: Man fatally shot by police in Rutherford rammed police car, attorney general says


A Lyndhurst police officer said he ordered Ashford to stop the vehicle, but he appeared to be trying to drive the SUV out from the barrier, the Attorney General's Office said. When Ashford reportedly shifted into drive, the officer fired.

The second Lyndhurst officer told investigators he saw Ashford with his hand on the wheel and crouch down "like he was trying to grab something" according to the statement. That officer also fired. 

Investigators found a loaded .357-caliber handgun on Ashford's side of the vehicle, according to the Attorney General's Office. 

Authorities said Ashford was shot seven times. 

A Rutherford police officer and State Police trooper also fired, but did not strike Ashford, the state investigation said.


MORE: Newark murder victim was second suspect in Lyndhurst fatal police shooting


Police charged Bynes in the pursuit, but he was later gunned down in Newark earlier this year. 

Authorities have declined to release the names of the officers who fired their weapons because they were not charged with a crime.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahycFind NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

Dog has lots of energy, needs active owners

0
0

WEST CALDWELL — Amelia is a 6-year-old pit bull/Plott hound mix in the care of Orphaned Pets. Volunteers say she is an extremely energetic dog who likes to romp in the snow. Amelia needs owners who would walk her daily and a home with a fenced-in yard. She would be best suited to a household without small children. Amelia has...

ex0927pet.jpgAmelia 

WEST CALDWELL -- Amelia is a 6-year-old pit bull/Plott hound mix in the care of Orphaned Pets.

Volunteers say she is an extremely energetic dog who likes to romp in the snow.

Amelia needs owners who would walk her daily and a home with a fenced-in yard. She would be best suited to a household without small children.

Amelia has been housebroken and crate-trained; she has been spayed, microchipped and is up-to-date on shots.

For more information on Amelia, call Rosemarie at 973-865-6421. Information is also available by going to op.petfinder.com. Orphaned Pets is an all-volunteer fostering group serving the Essex County area for the past 25 years.

Shelters interested in placing a pet in the Paw Print adoption column or submitting news should call 973-836-4922 or email essex@starledger.com.

Surveillance system helps cops nab alleged wine shop computer thief

0
0

Clifton man was arrested Thursday, police said.

NUTLEY -- Police have arrested a man who they say was caught on camera swiping a computer from a township wine store.

Joseph Sanangelo, 48, or Clifton, was arrested Thursday after he was recognized from a surveillance video as the man who allegedly stole a computer from the Nutley Wine Shop on Sept. 16, police announced in a release.

Sanangelo.jpgJoseph Sanangelo, 48, or Clifton. (Courtesy Nutley Police)
 

According to police, authorities in Clifton recognized Sanangelo after Nutley police released surveillance photos of him in the store. After his arrest, police were able to recover the stolen computer, authorities said.

Sanangelo was charged with theft and released, police said.

Police officials in Nutley credited the store's surveillance system with helping crack the case.

"Video surveillance has become a police officer's best investigative tool," Nutley Chief Thomas Strumolo said in the release.

"This establishment had a system that enabled detectives to distribute a clear image of the actor, who was immediately identified by a neighboring agency."

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

N.J.'s richest man razes Corzine's ex-wife's mansion, builds bigger mansion

0
0

David Tepper built a home nearly twice the size after buying it from his ex-boss' former wife

Screen Shot 2015-09-25 at 10.26.41 AM.pngAn overhead view of the Sagaponack, N.Y. mansion built by Livingston hedge fund billionaire David Tepper. 

Livingston billionaire and hedge fund manager David Tepper has completed construction of a mansion in the Hamptons on property he bought from his famous former boss' ex-wife.

Tepper's had the 11,268-square foot oceanfront palace in Sagaponack built after paying $43.5 million to purchase the home that once sat on that land and then ordering it razed, according to telegraph.co.uk. 


RELATED: Five N.J. residents among nation's 400 richest

He bought the home he tore down from Joanne Dougherty, the former spouse of ex-Gov. Jon Corzine. Years ago Corzine passed over Tepper for a promotion at Goldman Sachs, the report said.  

Tepper left Goldman Sachs in 2003 and went on to form Appaloosa, but never forgot the "fractious" relationship he had with Corzine, according to the Telegraph.

The new house has an enormous swimming pool, a pool house, a three-car garage and a tennis court. It's nearly twice as big as the house Tepper knocked down.

Tepper had a net worth of about $10 billion.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

 

Multi-car accident reported on Pulaski Skyway

0
0

A multi-car accident on the Pulaski Skyway is tying up traffic in the area, Kearny police said.

A multi-car accident on the Pulaski Skyway this morning is tying up traffic on the bridge, Kearny police said.

The accident was reported at 10:16 a.m., although few details have yet to emerge.

Kearny police are currently on scene and have requested tows and EMS. It is unclear if anyone was injured in the accident.

When reached this morning, police could not confirm how many vehicles were involved -- only that the situation is currently unfolding.

The 83-year-old bridge, which connects Jersey City with Newark and parts of Kearny, is currently undergoing a massive rehabilitation project that has shut down the northbound lanes. 

Gallery preview 

Man caught on camera stealing package from mailbox (VIDEO)

0
0

Newark man was arrested while paying a fine for an unrelated theft charge at the Bloomfield police station, authorities said. Watch video

BLOOMFIELD -- A Newark man is facing theft charges after police say he was caught on camera stealing a package from a residential mailbox.

A Floyd Avenue resident reported the Monday afternoon theft, and handed a surveillance video over to police, showing a man walking up to her home's mailbox and removing a package, police said.

Brown.jpegBrown was arrested while paying a fine for an unrelated theft charge at the Bloomfield police station, authorities said. (Courtesy Bloomfield Police)
 

Jerome Brown, 50, was arrested this week while he was inside the Bloomfield police station paying a fine for an unrelated 2014 theft he committed in the township, police said in a release Thursday. Detectives investigating the alleged mailbox theft recognized Brown as the man in the video and arrested him, authorities said.

Brown was apparently wearing the same clothing in the police station as he was wearing in the video, police said. The contents of the package were worth $85, they said.

Brown has a history of 27 arrests in Bloomfield and Newark, authorities said.


SEE ALSO: Surveillance system helps cops nab alleged wine shop computer thief

Bloomfield Police Director Samuel DeMaio commended the detectives on the investigation, and credited the video with helping catch Brown.

"Without the video surveillance of the homeowner this arrest does not get made," DeMaio said in a statement.

"Video footage from private businesses and residences are proving to be more and more valuable to criminal investigations every day. The age of technology is being fully embraced by law enforcement."

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

Senior Wellness Day returns to recreation complex

0
0

WEST ORANGE — Local seniors are invited to the 10th annual Essex County Senior Wellness Day on Sept. 29 at the South Mountain Recreation Complex at 560 Northfield Ave. Free and open to all county seniors, the event will include health screenings and information on nutrition, financial wellness and exercise. Representatives from area hospitals, senior care facilities and nursing homes...

seniorsMT.jpg 

WEST ORANGE -- Local seniors are invited to the 10th annual Essex County Senior Wellness Day on Sept. 29 at the South Mountain Recreation Complex at 560 Northfield Ave.

Free and open to all county seniors, the event will include health screenings and information on nutrition, financial wellness and exercise.

Representatives from area hospitals, senior care facilities and nursing homes will be on hand as will employees from various county agencies.

Musical entertainment also will be featured, with all in attendance receiving free refreshments and bagged farmers market produce. Admission to the Turtle Back Zoo is also free for seniors on Wellness Day.

For transportation to the event, call 973-618-1280. For more information, call 973-621-4400.

To submit news for the Senior Spotlight column, please call 973-836-4922 or email essex@starledger.com.

N.J. inspectors find pesticides at medical marijuana dispensary

0
0

State health inspectors have cited the state's largest medical marijuana dispensary after finding pesticides at its Woodbridge facility, although no traces of the bug-killing substance was detected in the medicine, a state health spokeswoman confirmed.

TRENTON -- State health inspectors have cited the state's largest medical marijuana dispensary after finding pesticides at its Woodbridge facility, although no traces of the bug-killing substance was detected in the medicine, a state health spokeswoman confirmed.

New Jersey's medical marijuana program bars dispensaries from using pesticides on its cannabis crops.

Garden State Dispensary owner Michael Weisser said inspectors found a sealed container of organic pesticides in a little-used cabinet. "At one time we considered using it," he said.


RELATED: Patients cheer opening of third medical marijuana dispensary


Garden State submitted a "corrective action plan" in August demonstrating they understand and will abide by the rules, health department spokeswoman Donna Leusner said. The department approved the plan.

Garden State serves 3,052 registered patients, Weisser said, up from 2,165 in 2014, according to the state's annual report on the medicinal marijuana program. There are about 5,500 registered patients and caregivers enrolled in the program.

Garden State's patients raised concerns on social media over the summer about the dispensary placing limits on how much marijuana they may purchase at a time. Weisser said the restrictions lasted only about five days and that is long over.

Later in the fall, the owners plan to add more lamps and lights inside the Route 1 facility to meet the program's growing demand, he said.

The program is also served by Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair and Compassionate Care Foundation in Egg Harbor. Compassionate Sciences in Bellmawr is expected to open next month; Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center in Cranbury also is expected to open in the fall, Leusner said.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Authorities investigating fatal daytime shootings in Newark, Irvington

0
0

Shootings happened Friday, officials confirmed.

police lights.jpgShooting happened Friday morning in the city, officials confirmed. File photo.
 

NEWARK -- Authorities confirmed they are investigating a fatal shooting in the city Friday and a second in nearby Irvington the same day. 

The Newark shooting occurred around 10:30 a.m. in the area of South Orange and Isabella Avenues in Newark, Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Katherine Carter confirmed Friday.

Another person, identified only as a male, was gunned down near 23 Howard Street in Irvington around 9:30 a.m. 

No additional information about either incident was immediately available. 

The fatal Newark shooting marks the sixth homicide in the city in as many days. Three people were gunned down in separate incidents over the weekend, authorities said. A Belleville woman has been charged with vehicular homicide after a car crash killed a cabbie in the city Sunday. And, an Elizabeth man was shot and killed in Newark early Thursday morning.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

2 injured in 4-car accident on Pulaski Skyway, police say

0
0

Traffic was completely shut down on the 83-year-old bridge following the accident, which was reported at around 10:15 a.m., Kearny police officer Jose Resua said.

Two people suffered minor injuries in a four-car accident on the Pulaski Skyway this morning, the Kearny Police Department said.

Traffic was completely shut down on the 83-year-old bridge following the accident, which was reported at around 10:15 a.m., Kearny police officer Jose Resua said.

The accident was cleared within approximately 45 minutes, Resua said, adding that it involved two cars and two pickup trucks.

The bridge, which connects Jersey City with Newark and parts of Kearny, is currently undergoing a massive rehabilitation project that has shut down the northbound lanes.

Gallery preview 

20-year sentence for NJ man convicted of growing marijuana

0
0

A West New York man has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison for growing large crops of marijuana inside two buildings in Newark.

David CompanioniDavid Companioni (left) will serve 20 years in state prison. Aday Y. Fernandez (right) still awaits sentencing (Courtesy of OAG). 

NEWARK -- A West New York man has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison for growing large crops of marijuana inside two buildings in Newark, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced Friday.

David Companioni, 32, was convicted on first-degree charges of operating a controlled dangerous substance production facility and second-degree possession with intent to distribute charges in Essex County Superior Court on Aug. 20.

State authorities said Companioni and co-defendant Aday Y. Fernandez, 34, were co-conspirators in a scheme to cultivate and maintain a marijuana growing operation at a Miller Street warehouse.

Authorities arrested both men in Feb. 2012 after investigators with the New Jersey State Police Drug Trafficking North Unit discovered more than 100 marijuana plants inside the warehouse and at a multi-family home on Summer Avenue. 

Investigators executed a separate search warrant at Fernandez's residence in the 300 block of 54th Street in West New York, where they seized several pounds of marijuana and more than $42,000 in U.S. currency, authorities said.

Fernandez, also of West New York, pleaded guilty in April to charges of conspiracy and maintaining or operating a controlled dangerous substance production facility.  

Attorneys for the state are recommending that Fernandez receive a sentence of seven years in state prison.

Fernandez is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

Baraka sued by former Newark corporation counsel over firing

0
0

Former Newark corporation counsel Karen Brown alleges she was fired in retaliation for whistle-blowing activities

NEWARK -- A former corporation counsel for Newark is suing Mayor Ras Baraka over allegations she was fired earlier this year for refusing to follow the mayor's orders and other whistle-blowing activities.

But city officials claim Karen Brown's allegations are baseless and they vowed to vigorously defend against them.

The lawsuit alleges the mayor retaliated against Brown for, among other issues, reporting certain matters to state officials and refusing to approve a shared services agreement. Brown claims the agreement was forged and based on false information.

Brown also describes a culture at Newark City Hall where city workers were not allowed to bring cell phones to meetings with the mayor and were pressured to make political donations to Baraka.

Her attorney, Charles Sciarra, described Brown in a statement as "a paragon of integrity and professionalism in New Jersey's legal community" and said she is "greatly saddened" by the need for the litigation.

"However, she cannot let stand unchallenged the clouds and innuendo surrounding her illegal backroom termination," Sciarra said.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Sept. 15 in Essex County Superior Court, names Baraka and the city as defendants. The complaint indicates certain paragraphs were redacted and the issues would be addressed in subsequent legal filings.

Brown was hired as the city's corporation counsel when Baraka took office in July 2014, and she was terminated in February. She previously served as the Passaic County Clerk, a judge in the Passaic and Paterson municipal courts and the Passaic County Adjuster.

Brown filed a lawsuit after being forced out of her job as a municipal judge in Passaic County in 2011. As part of a settlement agreement, she was reinstated to the bench, according to a Paterson Press report.

In a statement about Brown's lawsuit against Baraka and Newark, city officials alluded to that litigation history and said she was terminated as corporation counsel after the mayor lost trust in her.

"It appears that the City of Newark is simply the latest municipality and former employer of Ms. Karen Brown to be sued," according to the statement.

"During her brief tenure as Corporation Counsel, Ms. Brown's actions caused the Mayor to lose trust in her advice, counsel and judgment, leading to her termination," the statement reads.

"Her actions as an attorney raise serious issues regarding her compliance with the high standards we expect of our public servants. The City will seek appropriate review by the relevant regulatory bodies.

"The City will answer her baseless, meritless and spurious allegations in its response to her lawsuit and will vigorously defend against this matter."

In response to the city's comments, Sciarra said: "The mayor lost trust because Ms. Brown's advice was to stop acting illegally. Another sad day for the people of Newark."

The lawsuit represents at least the third lawsuit filed against Baraka this year by former city officials challenging their terminations.

The other two lawsuits have been filed by Keith Isaac, the city's former emergency management coordinator, and Victor Emenuga, the former CEO of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation.


MORE: Ousted Newark corporation counsel rescinds request for hearing before City Council: source


Brown's lawsuit claims Baraka pressured her in December 2014 to approve a shared services agreement between Newark and Irvington for the services of a health officer.

Brown refused to do so, because someone else had signed the agreement in the section that required her signature as corporation counsel and since the agreement was based on false information that Newark was laying off employees, the lawsuit states.

According to the lawsuit, a resolution approved by Irvington to authorize the agreement said it was necessary because both municipalities were laying off employees. But Brown said that claim about layoffs in Newark was false.

The lawsuit also alleges the mayor retaliated against Brown over her handling of tax abatement applications and an email involving city council members.

The lawsuit states Baraka pressured Brown to sign off on about 17 tax abatement applications for approval at a Dec. 9, 2014 city council meeting. The applications were provided to the city's Law Department on Dec. 4 and 5, the lawsuit states.

The city's Director of Economic and Housing Development also threatened that Brown would suffer "repercussions" if the applications were not placed on the meeting agenda, the lawsuit states.

newark-city-hall.jpgNewark City Hall (File photo) 

Brown said she wrote an email on Dec. 8 to the director - and blind copied several council members - to address his threat, the lawsuit states. She noted the short time frame and "objected to foregoing her legal obligations to thoroughly review these applications," the lawsuit states.

About two applications were ultimately placed on the meeting agenda, and approved by the council on the condition that they be approved by the state monitor overseeing Newark's finances, the lawsuit states.

At Baraka's weekly directors' staff meeting on Dec. 12, the mayor reprimanded Brown for refusing to approve the shared services agreement and for copying council members on her email, the lawsuit states.

"During this verbal reprimand, Mayor Baraka commanded that when he tells someone to do something that it is not a suggestion," the lawsuit states. "The Mayor further directed to Plaintiff and the rest of the attendees of the meeting that they have to do what he instructs because he is the one who makes the decisions."

As other examples of her whistle-blowing activities, the lawsuit points to issues involving Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for municipal prosecutors and the mayor's placement of an intern in Brown's department.

Brown also claims Baraka's brother and chief of staff Amiri "Middy" Baraka pressured her in late January to reissue the RFQs, because an attorney had complained she was not awarded a contract for 2015. The brother indicated the attorney was "a big help to the Mayor's campaign," the lawsuit states.

Brown told him the attorney had nearly three weeks to respond, but her response did not comply with the requirements of the RFQ, the lawsuit states.


RELATED: Newark corporation counsel leaves post suddenly


Soon after, Brown raised questions about a woman who had begun working as an intern in her department without her knowledge, the lawsuit states. In an email about the matter to city officials, Brown blind copied the state monitor, the lawsuit states.

Brown later had a meeting with Baraka, during which she was barred from having her cell phone with her, the lawsuit states.

In that meeting, the mayor said he placed the woman in Brown's department and he interrogated Brown "about why she was asking questions and copying the State Monitor," the lawsuit states.

Brown told him that, under a memorandum of understanding, the state is required to sign off on all personnel decisions, the lawsuit states.

But the mayor indicated "he did not have to comply with the terms of the MOU and that the State could not tell him who to hire and fire," the lawsuit states.

"He stated that he could simply give the State back their money," the lawsuit states. "Mayor Baraka said he did not trust Plaintiff because she had communicated with the State."

Brown claims city officials later retaliated against her for her whistle-blowing activities by indicating her recent hire of a paralegal specialist was not approved, even though she said all of the proper paperwork had been executed, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit states Brown reported to state officials about that matter as well as information on the request to reissue the RFQs for prosecutors, the shared services agreement and "copies of invitations to political fundraising events."

Brown was later accused of using her cell phone as a recording device in her meeting with the mayor, but she told officials she had brought the phone to the Law Department before the meeting, the lawsuit states.

But Baraka's brother and chief of staff said the mayor wanted her to resign, because "he did not trust" her, the lawsuit states.

"Chief of Staff Baraka asserted that this incident with the cellphone along with Plaintiff's communications with the State and incident copying the Council members were serious problems," the lawsuit states.

Brown refused to resign and her employment was ultimately terminated, the lawsuit states.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Christie orders flags to be lowered in honor of Yogi Berra

0
0

Yankee legend and longtime Montclair resident died Tuesday

TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie has ordered all flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff Sept. 29  in honor of Yankee legend and longtime Montclair resident Yogi Berra, who died Tuesday at the age of 90.  


RELATED: The 50 greatest Yogi-isms of all time 


"Yogi Berra was a national treasure and a baseball legend. Yogi's achievements as a catcher, clutch hitter, manager and coach have inspired generations of ballplayers. His military service and his service to New Jersey, especially the sportsmanship programming he brought to the Little Falls museum that bears his name, are sterling examples of his citizenship," Christie said in a statement Friday.

A World War II veteran who took part in the invasion of Normandy, Berra joined the Yankees in 1946, kicking off a stellar career that included being named MVP three times, being part of 10 World Series victories as well as being named to 15 straight All Star games. He earned the record for most World Series hits during a playing career that spanned nearly two decades.  

Berra was also a prolific if accidental wordsmith, coining now famous phrases like "It ain't over til it's over" and "When you get to the fork in the road, take it."

A memorial for Berra is planned at his namesake museum in Little Falls Oct. 4 from noon to 5 p.m.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook


Professor rejects claim she 'raped' disabled man

0
0

Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Eric Plant pressed Rutgers-Newark professor Stubblefield about the sexual encounters with the disabled man and the controversial technique she claims to have used to communicate with him

NEWARK -- Facing off with an Essex County prosecutor, Rutgers-Newark professor Anna Stubblefield on Thursday rejected allegations she "raped" a disabled man.

During cross-examination at her trial on charges of sexually assaulting the 34-year-old man, known as D.J., Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Eric Plant pressed Stubblefield about the sexual encounters and the controversial technique she claims to have used to communicate with him.

Plant said she "had him on the floor of your office with the door locked," and questioned her about when she "raped (D.J.) on the yoga mat on the carpet."

But Stubblefield said she and D.J. had fallen in love and were in a consensual relationship.

"I didn't have him on the floor," Stubblefield told Plant. "He and I were mutually together on the floor.

"I did not rape (D.J.)," she later added.

Stubblefield, 45, of West Orange, is facing two counts of aggravated sexual assault for allegedly abusing D.J. in her Newark office in 2011. Rutgers has placed her on administrative leave without pay.

D.J., who suffers from cerebral palsy and other ailments, wears diapers and requires assistance with walking, bathing, dressing and eating, his mother has testified. Other than making noises, D.J. does not speak, his brother said.

The state's experts have testified D.J. has intellectual disabilities and is unable to consent to sexual activity, but Stubblefield claims D.J. is not intellectually impaired and that he consented through a method known as "facilitated communication."

With that method, Stubblefield claims D.J. communicated by typing on a keyboard as she provided physical support to him.

Stubblefield maintained D.J. was the one typing the messages, noting how he sometimes made mistakes and conveyed information she didn't know.

"It was very clear he was the author of his words. He certainly wasn't letting me call the shots or push him around in any way," Stubblefield said. "He wouldn't let me do anything that he didn't want me to do."


MORE: Professor had 'just a regular relationship' with disabled man, she says in court

But Plant grilled her about the controversy surrounding facilitated communication, which critics have said is ineffective in light of studies showing facilitators influencing the users' messages.

Plant noted how various professional organizations have issued statements declaring the technique to be invalid.

"Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that facilitated communication is not a scientifically valid technique for individuals with autism or mental retardation," said Plant, quoting a policy statement issued by the American Psychological Association.

Stubblefield argued most of those statements were adopted in the 1990s before studies were conducted that showed the method is valid, and she claimed the organizations have not re-evaluated the technique.

Stubblefield met D.J. in 2009 through his brother, then a Rutgers student, who was taking a course of Stubblefield's during which the professor discussed the technique. The brother later asked her for more information about the method to see if it might help D.J.

As Stubblefield worked with D.J. over the next two years, she claims he wrote papers that were presented at conferences and wrote essays for a literature class he took at Rutgers.

Stubblefield said she and D.J. ultimately revealed their sexual relationship to his mother and his brother in May 2011.

Plant pointed out D.J.'s mother and brother have been declared his legal guardians, and questioned how Stubblefield lied to them about what was taking place in her office with D.J.

Rutgers professor's sex assault trial startsAssistant prosecutor Eric Plant speaks during the trial of Rutgers-Newark professor Anna Stubblefield, 45, of West Orange, who is facing two counts of aggravated sexual assault for allegedly abusing a severely mentally disabled man in 2011. The trial is being heard before Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare at the Essex County Courthouse in Newark. 9/9/15 (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)  

Noting testimony from a former colleague of Stubblefield's that she is an ethical person, Plant asked her: "Under what theory do you think that it's appropriate ethically to lie to legal guardians of a person that's been declared mentally incompetent?"

Stubblefield told Plant D.J. is an "adult" and that it did not occur to her and D.J. to ask his family for permission before having sex.

"He's very much his own person. He makes his own decisions," Stubblefield said. "When people fall in love with each other, the last thing you're thinking about is, 'Hey, let's go ask our moms if it's okay.'"

When the cross-examination turned to the sexual acts, Plant sometimes used graphic descriptions, noting how she "pulled down his diaper" and performed oral sex on D.J.

Plant challenged how Stubblefield was allegedly able to communicate with D.J. during the sexual encounters. Plant questioned whether the keyboard was used and how D.J. could communicate if he wanted to stop.

Stubblefield said they used the keyboard before having sex as they talked and touched each other. Plant noted how Stubblefield had said the typing could be a slow process with D.J. using one finger at a time.

Stubblefield replied, "Fortunately, we had all day."

While they were having sex, D.J. knew to bang on the floor if he wanted to stop and the keyboard was beside them if he wanted to type a message, Stubblefield said.

But on the two occasions when they had sex, Stubblefield said there was "no need for interruptions" and that D.J. was "very happy."

Plant asked whether she saw any injuries on D.J.'s back, which his mother and brother later claimed to see. But Stubblefield said "there were never any injuries to his back."

Plant also pressed Stubblefield about her claim in a written document obtained by prosecutors that she asked D.J. about watching pornography, but he said pornography exploits women and that she was "more beautiful than any porn star."

As for how D.J. developed such ideas, Plant questioned whether Stubblefield was claiming D.J.'s mother and brother exposed him to pornography. Stubblefield suggested he had overheard people discussing the topic.

"He's not stupid," she said.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Sandy victims need help to get banks off their backs | Di Ionno

0
0

Bills pending in Trenton to stop foreclosures

Debra and Steve Corrado's home in the Silverton section of Toms River, is stranded high its foundation, unlivable.

They're waiting for their third state-assigned contractor from the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation program to finish it. Just four days ago - one month shy of the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy destroying their home - they signed an amended RREM grant to get the job done.

They're in their third rental.

It gets worse. They're in foreclosure.

"After all the money we spent trying to get back in our house, now we have to hire a lawyer to try to keep it," Debra Corrado said.  

The abridged version of their story goes like this:

Their house was wrecked by the hurricane and they accepted what they say was low-ball settlement from their insurance company.

"We didn't want to waste time fighting," she said. "We wanted to get back home."

They followed Gov. Chris Christie's advice to "rebuild now," and renovated by using their saving and emptying their 401Ks.

But when the new (final) FEMA flood maps came out, they had to elevate the house, so they entered the RREM program in June 2014. The 90-day job is now on day 400-something, as they continued paying mortgage ($2,800 a month) and rent ($1,500).

"Part of the house was on a slab, and they actually cut it in half with a saw," Corrado said.

They couple got behind on the mortgage and the bank began foreclosing. The nightmare continues. Nearly three years and counting.

This is not an isolated case.

"One-third of the people impacted by the storm have not had their problems remediated," said state Assemblyman Gary Schaer, a Democrat whose districtincludes Moonachie and Little Ferry, two towns hit hard by Sandy. "Not 5 percent ... not 10 percent ... 33 percent. It is unconscionable that three years after the storm, we still have thousands of people out of their homes."

And many of those people, like the Corrados, now face foreclosure.

Schaer and fellow Democrat Sen. Jeff Van Drew, who represents Atlantic Cape and Cumberland Counties, have introduced bills in their respective houses to get the banks to back off.

Assembly bill A4139 and Senate bill S2577 have passed committee and Schaer said he hopes each will be voted on by the end of the year.

The identical bills ask that banks halt foreclosure on homes in the state RREM program and the LMI (low- and moderate-income) rebuilding program until 60 days after they are reoccupied.

The fact that the legislators come from opposite ends of state illustrates the swath of Sandy's destruction and its continued misery.

"This storm did not discriminate geographically," Schaer said.

"But many of the people - not all, but many - who remain out of their homes were the most economically vulnerable," Schaer said. "They are single mothers, the elderly, and families struggling to make ends meet before the storm. No one seemed to be speaking for them. These are people who have yet to receive the relief that was promised them."

The bills seek to freeze all foreclosure proceedings on properties wrecked by Sandy, as long has the property wasn't in foreclosure prior to storm. The mortgages would resume within 60 days of the owners returning home. 

The bills also would protect homeowners from foreclosure in future disasters, an important feature for people who live in flood areas along the Raritan and Passaic River basins, as well as the coast.

"This is not a handout," Schaer said. "We wanted to craft a bill to answer the short-term needs for people who are behind on their mortgages through no fault of their own.

"We want to give people 36 months - that seems to be the time it takes - to recover from a disaster without the threat of foreclosure."

Almost all the people in this situation are there because of the hallmark factors of this slow recovery. Insurance fraud. Contractor malfeasance. Bureaucratic entanglement.

"The state blames the feds, the feds blame the state," Schaer said. "Let's stop playing the blame game and come up with solutions."

That's a welcomed message for Nancy Wirtz, whose small house in the Forked River Beach section of Lacey Township was flooded and severely damaged when two trees fell on it during Sandy.

A contractor charged her $55,000 to demolish the house and then disappeared. Wirtz now has no house, no money and the bank bearing down on her.

"I'm lost," she told the Assembly's Housing and Community Development Committee during a hearing on the bill in June. "I don't know what to do."

Amada Devecka-Rinear, who formed a group to lobby for Sandy victims, said the bills is "welcomed" and "good" but doesn't go far enough.

"I think this bill was chipped away at by the banking lobby," said Devecka-Rinear, executive director of the New Jersey Organizing Project. "It originally included all Sandy victims. Now, it's just those in RREM and LMI (who must be primary homeowners to qualify for those programs).

"But what about second homeowners and people who own rental properties?" she said. "They've had to deal with some of the same issues, like low insurance payouts or bad contractors.

"I think the bill is good and needed," she said. "But we're going to push back and see if we can get it expanded. These people have suffered enough. The banks should give them a break."

Essex authorities ID victims in fatal daytime shootings

0
0

Authorities have identified two men killed Friday morning in separate shootings in Newark and Irvington.

police lights file photo.jpgAuthorities continue to investigate separate Friday morning shooting deaths in Irvington and Newark (file photo).

NEWARK -- Authorities have identified two men killed Friday morning in separate daytime shootings in Newark and Irvington.

Alkawi S. McCoy, 18, was shot at approximately 10:30 a.m. Friday morning, said Tom Fennelly, Chief Assistant Prosecutor for the Essex County Prosecutor' s Office.

McCoy was transported to University Hospital following the shooting, and was later pronounced dead at 11:10 a.m., Fennelly said.

Authorities have also named the victim in a separate Friday shooting in Irvington. Samad Hargrove, 38, was shot around 9:30 a.m., Fennelly said. He was later pronounced dead at 12:56 pm at University Hospital, he added.

The fatal Newark shooting marks the sixth homicide in the city in as many days. Three people were gunned down in separate incidents over the weekend, authorities said.

A Belleville woman has been charged with vehicular homicide after a car crash killed a cabbie in the city Sunday. And, an Elizabeth man was shot and killed in Newark early Thursday morning.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

Newark teacher who allegedly spanked preschooler has license revoked

0
0

State board ordered last week that the teacher's license be revoked.

bus.jpgState board ordered last week that the teacher's license be revoked. File photo. 

NEWARK -- A former city teacher has been stripped of his licenses stemming from a 2013 incident in which a school official said he saw the teacher spanking a four-year-old preschool student in the classroom.

According to an order of revocation recently released by the New Jersey Department of Education State Board of Examiners, school officials accused Richard Barnes-Bay - then a tenured pre-K teacher at Speedway School - of hitting the young student twice in front of a full classroom of children.

The district brought certified tenure charges against Bey after Assistant Superintendent Mitchell Center reported he was visiting the school on March 18, 2013 when he heard yelling coming from a classroom, the document states. He allegedly heard someone say, "Come to school like a man - got to get a beating like a man," it said.

When Center entered the classroom, he said he saw Bey pull the student out of his chair by the arm, and hit him twice on the buttocks in front of the class, it said.

Center then removed the crying child from the classroom, it said. The superintendent described the hits as "aggressive," the documents said.


SEE ALSO: Ex-teacher accused of calling kids 'little brats' loses teaching license

Bey was removed from his position, documents said.

According to state documents, Bey testified in 2013 that he did not hit the child, but that the boy was upset when the class was told to get in a circle, and he took the boy by the hand to lead him to the circle. Bey said he told the boy to "be a man today and join the club," and tapped his rear, it said.

Bey could not be reached for comment on the incident.

The state board said in the documents that it reviewed the arbitrator hearings between Bey and the district at several meetings over the past two years.

In subsequent hearings, Bey pointed to his history of community involvement. According to a Jersey Tomato Press report, Bey was honored as a "Community Connection Champion" by the Newark Youth Connection Council in 2009.

In a decision earlier this year, Administrative Law Judge Jesse H. Strauss commended Bey on his previous record, but said that "this singular act was neither justifiable nor excusable, and it overwhelms the otherwise exemplary career of Barnes-Bey," according to documents.

Strauss ordered that Bey's teaching licenses be revoked, they said.

At its July 30 meeting, the state board certified Strauss's decision, and determined that "Barnes-Bey's conduct demonstrates that he is incapable of being a role model for students and that conduct warrants revocation."

The board officially adopted the decision on Sept. 17, and ordered Bey's two teaching certificates be revoked.

Newark Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

Police probing death of 68-year-old Newark man

0
0

The unidentified man was found dead in the 300 block of Sherman Avenue Saturday night, according to authorities

big stock siren.jpgPolice are investigating the death of a 68-year-old Newark man Saturday night. (File photo)

NEWARK - Authorities are investigating the death of a 68-year-old city man Saturday night.

Thomas S. Fennelly, a chief assistant prosecutor with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, said the unidentified man was found in the 300 block of Sherman Avenue in the city's South Ward.

He declined to provide additional details, saying he was awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

An investigation by the prosecutor's office's Major Crimes and Homicide Task Force is ongoing.

A total of 74 homicides have been recorded in Newark so far this year, according to an NJ Advance Media count.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Viewing all 10984 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images